In the late 80s and early 90s when American manufacturers were losing ground to overseas competitors, especially in the automotive industry, the ISO 9000 designation became a coveted certification. The ISO (which stands for International Organization for Standardization) 9000 was proof positive that an organization had espoused and practiced the leading-edge manufacturing concepts such as Kan-Ban or Just-in-Time Inventory, Six-Sigma manufacturing practices, and Total Quality Improvement. After all, these were the practices that our foreign competitors had used to “beat us.”

An ISO designation proved to customers, suppliers, and other business partners throughout the world that the products and services delivered adhered to the strictest standards and were of reliable and consistent quality.

Fast forward to today, and the Financial Industry finds itself in a similar situation, not with overseas competitors but rather with undifferentiated domestic competitors. The industry needs a seal-of-approval by an independent body to differentiate those players that are adhering to the industry best-practices and have the client’s best interest in mind in all they do, versus those that are playing by an outdated playbook where self-serving practices prevail.

That seal-of-approval exists, and it is called the CEFEX Certification. CEFEX is the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence and provides “independent verification of an organization’s conformity with all Practices and Criteria that constitute a Standard application to a particular function involved in the management of other people’s financial assets.” Essentially, the CEFEX certification helps increase trust. It serves a s a tool to publicly demonstrate best practices in fiduciary operations.

McKinley Carter is proud to announce that after much work and dedication, we have been Certified by CEFEX. This quality assurance confirms that McKinley Carter’s Retirement Plan Services team has been adhering to the best practices in the industry and always seeks to put clients’ needs ahead of their own. You can learn more by visiting our website.

To learn more about the importance of working with a CEFEX-certified advisor, click here to watch an informational video.